Friends With Benedicts: A Small Town Romantic Comedy by Staci Hart

Author:Staci Hart [Hart, Staci]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-07T18:30:00+00:00

15

C'mon Everybody

SEBASTIAN

“Ice cream!” Presley called in the direction of the park a couple weeks later. “Get your free ice cream! Keep it local, Lindenbach!”

The Blums, Presley, and I had just gotten set up with a table full of Keep It Local merchandise, and the Bromberg family manned a rolling ice cream cart with a pink and white umbrella on top and their parlor’s logo on the front of the chrome case.

So far, the summer was a smash.

Never could I have imagined that this summer would be graced by Presley. That I’d find out I was a father. That I’d love the job so much. Or that we’d smash Mitchell’s plans to smithereens with the efficacy of a Louisville slugger.

Dottie and Presley’s mom were chatting on a park bench while Priscilla ran the playground circuit in circles. All that was missing was a Ninja Warrior battlecry.

I’d only been a dad for a month, and I couldn’t remember what I’d done with my whole life before her. Presley said I was in the honeymoon phase, and that things would change should I ever have her full time. We hadn’t had a sleepover yet—we’d tried once, but Priscilla had never slept anywhere without Presley or her Nonnie. And though I’d have been happy to have Presley spend the night too, she was adamant about keeping us a secret from Priscilla.

Presley was adamant about a lot of things. Like her certainty that I would regret staying, and her insistence that I should go. Or her constant referral to our temporary state. I didn’t remember agreeing to any of it. But the truth was, I didn’t get the sense that she wanted me to stay.

And if I couldn’t have her, I’d be better off leaving anyway. I couldn’t stand the thought of her telling me she didn’t want me. The pity on her face when she tried to let me down easy. Knowing we would parent our child apart, with me always wishing she loved me like I loved her.

So I’d happily pretend she was mine for the summer and leave the decision to stay or go hanging in the air like a flipped coin.

People had streamed into the park from Main Street, making their way toward us. Some with smiles, some passing by with scowls. Mitchell had a hold of this town for better or for worse, and at the end of the day, a cross section of folks would always be opposed to any pushback. They couldn’t—or wouldn’t—think long term, convinced that Mitchell was the authority and knew best. They liked the idea of a Goody’s being closer than a half hour away, liked the idea of cheap food and superstore prices on goods. And they chose to ignore the faces of the business owners who’d kept our town in business, some for a hundred years.

I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t fathom the self-interest that would put their wants over others’ needs. The injustice of it lit me up like a bonfire.

But we were gonna win.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.